Biofeedback techniques for psychophysiological training have been known for some time they generally involve measuring a psychophysiological parameter of a subject to vary some sort of sense perceptible indication in dependence upon variation in the psychophysiological parameter. For example, in early biofeedback devices, the subjects were asked to look at a needle on a meter and to try and relax. By means of controlled relaxation, the meter reading could be made to change and the biofeedback in question was that the person relaxing could see that the change had actually occurred.
A wide variety of biofeedback apparatus and methods has been proposed over recent years and the sophistication of such apparatus has substantially increased. In particular, the availability of cheap computing power and the acceptability of information displayed on a computer monitor screen has led to the development and, in some cases, commercialisation of a wide variety of devices. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,632,126, 4,683,891 and 4,800,893, as well as published International Application WO93/02622 all disclose biofeedback type apparatus including a screen which is watched by the person carrying out the biofeedback procedure. In all cases, however, the apparatus is effectively a computer driven apparatus which, in accordance with an appropriate programme, varies a computer generated screen display in an appropriate fashion dependent, in particular, on the value of a psychophysiological parameter of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,716 discloses video game apparatus wherein in contrast to the player using a manual input to control the game, e.g. via a keyboard or joystick, the game is controlled by myoelectric impulses generated consciously by the user and detected by means of an appropriate sensor such as a headband containing contact electrodes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,578, specification describes a diagnostic and treatment system for use with Alzheimer's disease. It relies on the interaction between a patient and a computer and the computer generates a display on a screen, the patient then reacting following viewing the display and thinking about it. The overall system illustrated includes a video recorder, to keep a record of the diagnostic or treatment session. The sequence of images which are displayed to the patient are generated by the computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,095 discloses a system which uses a videotape cassette player, to generate a display on a television screen which is watched by a person using the system. The display is varied in accordance with the person's activity by monitoring a parameter of the user (pulse rate), and the speed of replay of the video record can vary as the pulse rate varies The rate itself can be part of the screen display.